Physical_Activity_Guidelines

Special Considerations
Children and Adolescents With Disabilities
Children and adolescents with disabilities are more likely to be inactive than those without disabilities. Youth
with disabilities should work with a health care professional or physical activity specialist to understand the
types and amounts of physical activity appropriate for them. When possible, children and adolescents with
disabilities should meet the key guidelines. When young people are not able to participate in the appropriate
types or amounts of physical activities needed to meet the key guidelines, they should be as active as possible
and avoid being inactive.
Getting and Staying Active: Real-Life Examples
Children and adolescents can meet the key guidelines and become regularly physically active in many ways.
The first example is for a preschool-aged child showing how light-, moderate-, and vigorous-intensity physical
activity can be incorporated throughout the day. The next examples are for a child and for an adolescent who
are meeting the 60 minutes-a-day key guideline.
Ebony: An 11-Year-Old Child
Jake: A 4-Year-Old Child
Ebony has a physical disability and uses a wheelchair to get around.
Ebony does 60 or more minutes of daily physical activity that is at least
moderate intensity, and she also includes vigorous-intensity, bonestrengthening,
and muscle-strengthening activities. Here are the daily
activities she participates in during a sample week:
At childcare, Jake goes outside twice a day and plays games like hideand-seek
or hopscotch, chases his friends, and enjoys climbing up and
going down the slide. At home, Jake is always on the move, whether he
is building a fort in the living room, running around with his older sister,
or seeing how high he can jump. On the weekends, Jake takes swimming
lessons at the community pool or does gymnastics at the local recreation
center. His family also likes to go to the city park, where Jake enjoys
riding his tricycle. At home, Jake’s parents limit his screen time. All these
activities ensure that Jake does at least 3 hours of movement a day.
• Monday and Friday: Wheels to and from school (20 minutes);
races a friend during recess (10 minutes); plays basketball during
an afterschool program (30 minutes)
• Tuesday and Thursday: Wheels to and from school (20 minutes);
actively participates during physical education class (50 minutes); plays four square in her afterschool
program (15 minutes)
Chapter 3. Active Children and Adolescents 53